Elucidation
by arisuali
Summary: Kakashi gives Iruka a gift, so Iruka reciprocates. My first attempt at a Kaka/Iru fic. Oneshot. Rated T for gayness, just in case. Pure fluff.


**Whoo! Naruto fic number...er...well number two actually, but I haven't uploaded the first one yet. The title's just too good to waste on the lump of shiz it is right now...**

**...but I digress =D**

**Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine (dammit) (but I will lay claim to Lee right now... *fighting stance* ...yeah, don't think I'm going to have many rivals XD)**

**OK, this my first KakaIru fic...so apologies for any mistakes/out of character moments.**

**Reviews are good. You're more than welcome to leave feedback ^^**

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"Um…Kakashi-sensei?" Iruka eyed the small paper bag that the ex-ANBU shinobi was holding with increasingly growing suspicion. "If you don't mind me asking, what have you got in there?"

Kakashi, inwardly wincing at the honorific, merely shot the teacher his trademark grin, which did nothing to lessen Iruka's misgivings about the contents of the bag, innocent as it may appear. "Nothing dangerous, Iruka-sensei; you don't have to worry. These are merely sweets that I purchased from that shop near to where Naruto lives…you know, the one that opened just the other day…"

Oh yes…Iruka knew that shop…he had walked past it on the way back from Naruto's apartment a couple of days ago. He had stopped for a few seconds to gaze at the shop front, instantly regretting his decision when a small figure had emerged from the darkened doorway and asked him, in an innocent-sounding voice, to come inside. He had declined the offer – although the girl could not be more than seventeen or eighteen years old, there had been a decidedly obsessive look about her. Slightly unnerving. A little threatening. Someone who may or may not jump him, given the chance. And although he was perfectly capable of defending himself should the occasion arise, it was better to avoid getting into a situation like that in the first place.

Actually, come to think of it, she had reminded him of someone…

"I was served by a very nice young woman," the copy nin went on, seemingly unaware of Iruka's mini-flashback. "She was very helpful…made several recommendations about what I should buy…yes, very helpful. She mentioned that she had seen you, actually…"

_There! That was the look! Right there!_

No wonder he'd been unsure about her…she'd had that same look in her eye…

"These things really are tasty," Kakashi continued, pulling down his mask briefly to pop a small circular sweet into his mouth. Iruka was unfazed by this unveiling – he had seen the jounin without his mask a couple of times before and it was quite surprising how quickly he'd gotten used to it. "Would you like to try one, Iruka-sensei?" the ninja asked, mask back in place, eyes betraying the smirk that was plastered onto his hidden face.

Iruka didn't trust that smirk one little bit.

"No thank you," he said politely. "I'm not really very hungry."

"Are you sure?" The one visible eye widened a little at the negative response. "I haven't done anything to them, if that's what you're worried about."

_OK, after that, I'm DEFINITELY not taking one…_

"Really, Kakashi-sensei, I'm fine."

"Oh. That's a shame. And after I picked one out for you too."

_Don't rise to the bait don't rise to the bait don't rise to the–_

"You did?"

_Argh! Damn!_

"Why yes, I did actually." You could practically _hear _the smug expression in his voice. "It's a pity that you don't want it."

Curiosity roused to an almost-unbearable level, Iruka closed his eyes in defeat. _If it was anyone else, I wouldn't care…_ "Well…I suppose I could manage one…"

"Good!" Nope, the chunin wasn't fooled by that innocent smile. This was the outcome that Kakashi has anticipated all along. "Here you go!"

Expecting the worst, Iruka held out his hand and a sugary disc fell into it. It appeared to be blank, a simple raised heart decorating its surface. The ninja had never seen anything like it before. Intrigued, he turned it over…

…and his heart skipped a cliché.

There was the same heart, this time outlined in red and containing small printed words: '**I surrender**'. Iruka immediately flushed a dark and incriminating scarlet.

"Do you like it?" Kakashi asked, amusement radiating through every syllable. "I thought it was the most appropriate."

"I will _not_ be made fun of, Kakashi," Iruka seethed through gritted teeth, furious with both himself for blushing and the copy nin for causing it.

"My apologies." Another smile. "I didn't intend to make you feel embarrassed."

"I'm _not _embarrassed!" the chunin snarled, red face belying his defensive words.

"Really? Well, if you say so. Look, if you don't want it, you might as well give it back."

"Fine then," Iruka snapped, not caring if he was being rude as he shoved the sweet back into Kakashi's palm. The jounin seemed to contemplate it for a few seconds, before tugging down his mask again.

One minute Iruka was watching him bite into the sweet. The next instant his vision was obscured by silver hair and a pair of warm lips were pressed against his own.

Kakashi was kissing him.

_Kakashi _was _kissing _him.

And, amazingly, astoundingly (or maybe just predictably), his first instinct wasn't to pull away and deliver a well-aimed kick. Instead, he grabbed onto the first thing he could get hold of – well, it would have to be Kakashi, wouldn't it, as there was nothing else within immediate reach – and kissed back with a desperation he hadn't even known he possessed.

There was a moment of knee-collapsing devastation as a slightly sharp-tasting tongue slid against his before, as suddenly as it had started, the kiss was over and Kakashi was standing a few feet away from him again, face once again covered by his mask, smiling _that _smile.

"Well, I'm afraid I must be off now. It appears that I'm late for a meeting with my squad…but here, take this." He handed the dazed chunin a small box tied with a red ribbon. "Goodbye Iruka. I'm sure we'll run into each other again before too long."

Iruka waited until he had disappeared (honestly, his speed was almost inhuman) before lifting the lid of the box. Inside was another one of those sweets (presumably that was the taste lingering in his mouth). It was yellow and read, almost condescendingly, '**sweet kiss**'.

"You bastard," the teacher said softly, his voice expressing more affection than he had intended. Pocketing the gift, he began walking without a second thought, letting his feet lead him in the direction of the sweet shop.

"Took you long enough," the girl told him, rolling her eyes as he pushed aside the beads hanging from the door frame. She held out a box almost identical to the one in Iruka's pocket, only decorated with a blue ribbon. "Give him this one. He'll like it."

"Er…thanks." Deciding it was best not to argue, Iruka paid and left.

After the completion of the mission, Kakashi returned to the building where he lived, seemingly unfazed to find a small box waiting for him on the doorstep. He picked it up, only glancing at it for a second before heading inside, making sure to close the door behind him. Setting the box down on the table, he proceeded to change out of his ninja attire and into the simple black clothes he usually wore indoors. Only when he had done this did he make his way over to the box, half-expecting some blunt message telling him, in no uncertain terms, to get lost on the path of life.

So, in fact, he was quite pleasantly surprised by the contents. OK, so the message was a little trite and more than a little cheesy, but Iruka was a die-hard romantic, he knew that. Actually, that was one of the things that he liked most about the chunin.

Sighing, he pulled his mask back up, slipping his feet into his sandals. It looked like this was something he would have to deal with immediately. After all, words like '**I love you**' weren't easily ignored, even if they were just printed in sugar on a pale green sweet.

_Besides_, he thought, slipping a red-ribboned box into his pocket as he opened the door, _it would be impolite if I didn't reciprocate in an appropriate manner._

Iruka wasn't really surprised when he answered the knocking to find the copy nin standing on his doorstep.

He wasn't really surprised when Kakashi kissed him either, muttering a few well-chosen words before handing over his present.

He _was _a little surprised by the message. Who would have thought the jounin had it in him to give him something like this?

There wasn't much time for deliberation, however, because within seconds Kakashi was crushing their lips together, tugging almost frantically at the bottom of his loose shirt and pressing their bodies together as close as was physically possible.

The box was soon forgotten. It lay on the table, illuminated in the lamplight, occasionally obscured by shadows as the shinobi shifted positions.

The red letters stood out against the white background.

'**all mine**'.

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**Thanks for reading. Hope you liked it =)**


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